


The Big Fight

by scandalsavage



Series: Gods Among Us [4]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Arguing, Foreshadowing, a bit of angst, but really only if you're following the main story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-26
Updated: 2019-02-26
Packaged: 2019-11-05 19:21:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17924810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scandalsavage/pseuds/scandalsavage
Summary: Jason is tired of Bruce's inability to communicate. It can't be that important, or he'd just say it. Right?(this takes place before We're All the Gods' Playthings and is a recounting of an event mentioned there. You probably really do need to read that to understand this).





	The Big Fight

**Author's Note:**

> The 200 followers celebration on My Tumblr has the option to ask for a pairing from this universe and get a snapshot of one of their interactions.
> 
> Someone asked for WAtPG Bruce & Jason so here's how that fight Jason mentioned in chapter 5 went down.

“That’s not a good idea.”

“I know you’re worried B, but it’s something I have to do. They’re desperate for doctors and—“

“No, Jason,” Bruce barks.

Jason blinks in surprise. Bruce hasn’t spoken to him that sharply in years. Since he was a kid.

“It’s not like I’ll be in the trenches. I mean, I will, but not figh—“

“Enough. I said no. You’re not joining the war. That’s final.”

Jason bristles. “Excuse me?”

Bruce stands his ground, crossing his arms over his chest, brows knit, that frustratingly impassive look in his eye that he always gets when he knows more than he’s going to say.

Jason hates that look. And contrary to Bruce’s intention, it only makes Jason more likely to dig in his heels.

“It’s far to dangerous, son,” he says, a lot more gently than Jason expects. Bruce’s face changes before his eyes, expression falling. Suddenly he looks older, tired.

“It’s a war, Bruce. I know it’s dangerous. But that doesn’t change anything. This one is right. And I have to help,” Jason insists, letting his indignation at Bruce, yet again, trying to control his life, fade away like he always does. It doesn’t matter that he knows the motivation is pure, that Bruce is just trying to protect him. Bruce has always unintentionally tried to nudge him away from the things that felt most ‘right’ for him.

Bruce looks completely dejected. More so than Jason believes the situation merits. The older man rubs a big hand over his face and through his hair, before sighing. His shoulders slump as he looks back.

“Going into medicine was bad enough. You cannot go to war.”

Jason stares at him for a moment. His eyes are pleading, desperate. Jason knows he means every word.

“You must be the only parent who doesn’t want their kid to be a doctor,” Jason grumbles before he thinks about the words coming out of his mouth. He feels his eyes get big and his ears burn. “Not that you’re my… I mean, not that I’m…” he huffs in frustration.

Bruce closes the distance between them smiling kindly and rests a hand on Jason’s shoulder. “You know you’re as much my family as Alfred or—”

“Or your biological kids? The ones you never see and hardly mention?”

A shadow falls over Bruce’s face for a moment, something more than regret or pain hidden in the depths of his frown. “That’s… fair.”

“No, it isn’t,” Jason sighs, feeling worn out already, “I’m sorry. It was shitty thing to say.”

They stand in stubborn silence.

“Jason,” Bruce implores, “You cannot go to the front. You absolutely cannot go there when—as a doctor. This is the most important thing I’ve ever asked of you. I need you to trust me.”

Jason looks straight into those steely-blue eyes.

“Tell me _why_.” He’s a little surprised to hear himself say it. He’s thought it, more times than he can count over the years. But his instinct is to give into Bruce, to try to make him happy. Proud. But Bruce has a long history of not explaining things, of asking Jason to trust him and never telling him why. Usually he lets it go because he _does_ trust Bruce. He’s only put his foot down once before. With medical school.

This decision is just as important to him. How does he explain to Bruce that it _feels_ right, feels _necessary_? That, all the way down to the core of what make him who he is, this is something crucial… something… defining.

Bruce swallows, opens his mouth briefly before closing it again. Jason doesn’t take his eyes off the other man’s face.

“This is important to me, Bruce,” Jason appeals softly, “I _need_ more this time. You have to give me _something_.”

Jason watches the internal battle play out in his mind. He catches the moment Bruce comes to a decision and exhales in disappointment.

“I can’t. It’s… complicated.”

Jason nods. “I get it. But that’s not fair. And it isn’t good enough this time.”

He turns to leave but is stopped by Bruce’s hand wrapping his bicep in an impossibly strong grip. There’s something very like fear in his wide eyes and worried frown. It makes Jason’s stomach somersault uncomfortably.

“You don’t understand—”

“You’re right. I don’t. That’s the problem.”

“Jason—”

“Bruce. You’re hurting me,” Jason flinches as the grasp on his arm turns bruising.

This has happened before. Bruce is deceptively strong and it comes so easily that sometimes he forgets himself. But this is the first time he doesn’t let up, the first time he doesn’t back off, apologizing profusely and genuinely.

“You’re _not_ going.”

Jason stares up at him. “Let go of me.”

Bruce stares right back. “Never.”

Another brief stalemate.

“My arm,” Jason murmurs, “Let go of my arm.”

Bruce jerks his hand away like he’s been shocked. But he doesn’t apologize and he keeps his eyes on Jason’s face.

They glare at each other. Jason shakes his head and moves toward the exit.

“Please, Jay… please listen to me. Don’t do this.”

“It’s too late, B,” Jason replies, hand pausing on the knob to the front door of the manor, “It’s done. I leave for training in two weeks.”

The cool air of the spring evening feels good on his warm face.

He hates fighting with Bruce, hates when they leave things like this. And he really hates how it gets his adrenaline up, gets his blood pumping.

Jason takes a deep breath. It’ll blow over. Like med school. Bruce will be upset for a while but eventually he’ll see how much this means to him, how important it is that he pursue this. Bruce is overprotective and more than a little dramatic.

If it were really as important as he wants Jason to believe, he’d have told him the truth.


End file.
